Helius

Blessed Helius of Koštabona (Slovene Elij, Italian Elio) was, according to tradition, a deacon, missionary, preacher and martyr, patron of the city of Koper (Capodistria), of the diocese of Koper and of Istria. He was born in the first century at Koštabona (Castrum Bonae), of a family originating from Oprtalj, and died at Koper, then Aegida, on 18 July 56.

According to the written sources of the dioceses of Koper and Trieste and to oral tradition, he was kindly received at Aquileia by its first bishop, Hermagoras, who entrusted to him as a missionary the whole territory of Istria and above all the task of making the people of Aegida abandon the worship of the Roman goddess Pallas and accept Christianity. As a fruitful preacher he set an example by his holy life and blameless conduct and brought many to the faith. It is not known how he died, but the martyrdom probably belonged to the persecution of Nero. He is believed to be buried in the crypt of the cathedral of Koper. This account rests on the work of Bishop Paolo Naldini of 1700 on the city and diocese of Koper.

On his missionary work the link of the Istrians with Christianity is founded. At Koper he is venerated from the sixteenth century, but the origin of the veneration of his tomb is unclear. Like the prophet Elijah of the Old Testament, he is held to be an intercessor for rain. A branch church is dedicated to him in Koštabona, his birthplace. The veneration is local, without synodal canonization.